Chocolate is made from the powdered cocoa mixed with sugar and other materials. Chocolate, like tea and coffee, depends for its effect on an extremely powerful drug, theine or caffeine, of which it contains minute proportions. There are very few other plants known which possess this powerful substance. Amongst these is the Kola nut, which is everywhere regularly employed in West Africa. On the way up to the barracks at Freetown, Sierra Leone, natives were always to be seen seated by the roadside; they sold kola nuts to the soldiers, who were thereby enabled to walk steadily and uprightly past the sentry, and to return his challenge in a clearly articulate voice, although they might previously have been somewhat injudiciously convivial in the town. This kola is one of the very strongest nerve tonics; under its influence men can endure severe physical and mental strain. Like the others, however, a depressing reaction inevitably follows, accompanied by insomnia, headache, and other evil effects.
When one comes to ask, Why do those few plants out of all the vast multitude of the vegetable world possess such extraordinary virtues? it is difficult to find an answer. Possibly some obscure insect or fungus enemy finds caffeine poisonous.
Nor can one find any reason for the curious properties developed in the Tobacco leaf by fermentation, except a possible protection to the leaf from the attacks of insects. No doubt the leaf, even in its natural state, would be too strong for them.
Tobacco is a native of Central America. The name Nicotiana tabacum is derived (the first) from a certain Jean Nicot, Ambassador to the King of Portugal, and the second from the Haytian name for a pipe.
On Columbus's voyage in 1492 the use of tobacco was noted. The story of Sir Walter Raleigh's servant, who threw a bucket of water over his master when the latter was smoking a pipe, is not supported by much evidence, but it seems to be probable that Sir Walter did smoke his pipe on the way to the scaffold.
At any rate it was cultivated in Europe by the year 1570, and Spenser speaks of the "soveraine Weed, divine Tobacco."
From the first it was detested by all governments and authorities. James I published a very intemperate Counterblast against Tobacco. It was prohibited by the Czar of Russia in 1635, and by the King of France. The great Sultan Jehanghir in India, Sultan Amurath II in Turkey, Shah Abbas the Great in Persia, and the Emperor Kang Ching in China, all prohibited the use of tobacco in their respective dominions.
Yet none of these great rulers were able to check its progress. The "Herb of Amiability," or the "Queen Herb of the rude Barbarian" as it is described in Chinese, prevails almost over the whole earth. There is scarcely a people or tribe in existence which does not use it.
But almost everywhere it is either heavily taxed or a Government monopoly; in the latter case it is always exceedingly bad. We ourselves import tobacco worth about £4,500,000 in the year, and pay a heavy duty. The world probably smokes from 1,800,000,000 to 2,000,000,000 pounds of tobacco every year.
The plant is a very pretty one, with large leaves and long pinky or white flowers, which are open and strongly scented at night. It is an annual, and is not at all difficult to cultivate. There is an impression in this country that it is a tropical plant, but by far the greatest amount of our tobacco comes from temperate countries. Large quantities are grown in Germany, in Hungary, and in other parts of Europe. As a matter of fact tobacco was once cultivated in both England and Scotland.